Boyne cleverly intersects his new book with The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in ways that are largely inconsequential to either story, but provide a nice touch of recognition for those who have read the earlier work and tangibly places both novels in the same world. While both books are emotionally powerful and moving works eminently suitable for both young adult and adult readers, it's this second novel that delves more deeply into the psyche of a brutal regime, the intoxicating lure of unquestioning power to the young mind and the deep regrets that are the consequence of not staying true to oneself.

Impossible to put down. Devastating and devastatingly good.

An effective and elegant work. Comparisons to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas are inevitable, but also merited: this is a new fable about a boy in wartime that invites us to reflect on the best and worst of human nature.

Boyne is at his best when examining guilt and culpability. The epilogue, a mere ten pages, culminates in a discovery so perfectly simple, and yet so unexpected, that it will remain with you for days.

A compelling account of the attractions of power, the malleability of youth and the terrible pain of a life filled with regret.

Disturbingly vivid, utterly readable and appealing to audiences of all ages.

There is a sureness and a simplicity to the writing that is very impressive . . . In The Boy at the Top of the Mountain, Boyne has delivered a powerful account of how one boy was seduced by Hitler and Nazism and paid the price. The final pages, in which he meets the Jewish friend of his boyhood and seeks redemption, are very moving. Younger readers will lament the corruption of Pierrot; older ones will perceive what Boyne is trying to tell us: if this could happen to Pierrot, it could happen to us.